There is no doubt that the credit for the huge success of One Piece goes to no other but the main protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. This character puts unparalleled energy into the screen, and for a long period, there were doubts if someone was capable enough of playing his role in a live-action adaptation.
These doubts were soon cleared by Inaki Godoy, the actor of Luffy in the One Piece Live Action series that has been airing since last year and has managed to become the fan favorite in a short amount of time. However, in an interview VIA The Laterals, Godoy revealed that it was not always smooth sailing for him to play the role of Luffy in the live-action series.
The Mexican actor described how he had to go through one of the toughest cast selection processes ever conducted by Netflix to land his role as Luffy, which changed his life forever.
Inaki Godoy Found It Hard To Play Monkey D. Luffy At The Start
The actor mentioned how it was difficult at first to adapt to the character of Luffy as well as to the pressure of playing him, giving Godoy a hard time. However, he was soon able to get around the pressure after realizing that the role of playing Luffy brings with it the opportunity to have fun, just like the character does in the series. Talking about his hardships while playing Monkey D. Luffy, Godoy said,
“There were times when it was very hard, and the pressure of it all got to me. But you know, if you continue playing Luffy for a long time, his spirit takes over you and somehow you sometimes forget that you’re working on this massive production because you start to have fun like him.“
It should also be mentioned how Inaki Godoy was personally favored by the creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda himself. It is now hard to imagine someone else playing the role of Luffy in the live-action series, knowing Inaki Godoy is the only person who can match the vibe and energy of the character so perfectly.
Why Inaki Godoy Is The Perfect Actor To Play The Role Of Monkey. D Luffy
As mentioned before, there is nobody else who can perfectly capture and play the exact energy and essence of Luffy as great as Inaki Godoy. While the casting process had been rigorous, it was worth it in the end, as Netflix ended up finding the best character who could have played the role of the main protagonist in the One Piece Live-Action series.
Inaki Godoy has previously worked with Netflix to produce a show called The Imperfects, however, One Piece Live-Action remains the biggest success in the timelines of his career yet. The opportunity to play Luffy in the series has without a doubt helped him gather a lot of fans, who wish to see him continue playing the character in the future seasons of the show.
Also Read: Eiichiro Oda Busts Fan Demand for All-Asian One Piece Cast, Reveals Nationality for Each Straw Hat
It also remains fairly certain that the One Piece Live-Action show produced by Netflix would not have garnered as much as love it did without Inaki Godoy playing the role of Luffy in the series, making it another factor in favor of Godoy playing Luffy in the future seasons.
One Piece Live-Action is available to watch on Netflix.
